


Dark Horse

by Rexsketches



Category: Splatoon
Genre: Drabble, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:02:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22021498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rexsketches/pseuds/Rexsketches
Summary: Stealth is having trouble coming up with a battle strategy. His teammate unexpectedly helps him figure things out…at the cost of accidentally revealing her secret.
Relationships: Bamboo/Stealth (Splatoon)
Kudos: 8





	Dark Horse

**Author's Note:**

> A lengthy drabble I wrote on a whim of sudden inspiration based on a headcanon about Bamboo's secondary weapon. Set after the events of the Square Ranked Cup tournament.

Stealth wasn’t the type of Inkling who meddled in other players affairs. What secrets they kept were not for his prying eyes. He had absolutely no business in gossip, let alone spying in on other teams to gain their strategies. Stealth’s preferred to study his rivals and potential opponents by viewing recorded footage of previous games, or sitting in on tournaments. This means of study also included his teammates. During practices he’d keep an eye on everyone’s progress and watch them carefully during turf battles to see where they could improve upon as a team.

His means of study proved to be a valuable asset to Yellow Green and as such, his knowledge had gained him the unofficial title of strategist to the team. Given the blueprints to any of the available stages for tournaments, Stealth in a matter of hours would concoct a solid battle plan and means of attack with Yellow Green’s available weapons. Even Rider’s flexibility with various weapons was no challenge for Stealth as was Blazer’s Heavy when they needed it. When strategy was involved, Stealth was a king in his element in figuring out weapon match ups for his team.

Well…except one.

Sitting in the small room of Sheldon’s testing area, a long sigh escaped Stealth’s lips as he scrubbed at his face with his hands. A large sheet with a bird’s eye view of Arowana Mall laid rolled out on the desk top, one end held own with his Jet Squelcher and another with his military styled helmet. His green eyes had been staring at the shape on the sheet for hours, it’s contents not wanting to easily give up it’s secrets. And those same eyes felt as if they’d bore a hole through the paper and leave a burn mark.

Their team leader Rider claimed Yellow Green needed to up the ante and start seeking out stronger opponents to fight. To keep them sharp and improve on their form of teamwork. Perhaps it had been the battle against the Monarch Team some time ago that cast this effect on Rider. Or perhaps Rider’s temporary stint with the S4 had inflated his ego for bigger opportunities. Whatever the case, the stubborn Dyanamo toting leader had issued a challenge against the X Bloods to a scrims to test their skills. Unfortunately, the X Bloods had accepted the invitation without so much as a second thought.

Which now left Stealth to come up with a battle plan that would keep their team afloat in the scrim. For one, their current lineup of weapons proved to have far too many disadvantages against what the X Bloods were packing. None of them had the range to counter Vintage’s Ballpoint at a safe distance. Rider’s vertical swing left him wide open to Double Egg’s counter, and a double Heavy strategy didn’t leave room for a short range sneak attack on their side. Blazer had to play her Deco Gal if they wanted to have a fighting chance. That of course left himself and Bamboo to be backliners to Blazer and Rider. If he and Bamboo we’re too preoccupied in helping their other teammates, how was anyone suppose to challenge Vintage’s range? Even if he and Bamboo could break off to make such an attack, there was still Omega in the way. His Jet could make quick work of Omega, but Bamboo’s Heavy still could not match the Ballpoint.

“Why is it when we need range we have it and when we lack it, we need even more” Stealth crossed his arms over the tabletop to cushion his head as he glanced outside the glass to the training area. Splatlings, he had to admit, were not an area of great expertise for him. He had never handled a Splatling in his life, let alone he hardly ever came across many of them in his turf battles. Splatling users were a class few and far between, and those that could prove their worth were exceptional experts. Bamboo, Omega and Vintage were living proof. Perhaps that was the flaw in his ideal. Did he not know how to counter a Splatling? Ah, but his team was counting on him for a strategy! He couldn’t simply admit he didn’t know Splatlings when two were on his own team.

“Bamboo would know…” he mumbled, turning his head slightly so that the edge of the window was again in his view. His brow furrowed. “She’s always so confident on that Heavy of hers, knows where to place herself for the right vantage point.” Stealth shook his head. Talking out loud like this wasn’t doing any good. Bamboo merely wasn’t going to pop into being in front of him just for mentioning her name on a thought to solve all his problems.

His thoughts drifted further. Bamboo appearing out of thin air wouldn’t be a bad idea actually. Out of anyone on Yellow Green, she was the best equipped at countering Vintage in terms of skills. She’d surely give the X Blood a run for his money, if only she possessed a weapon with more range.

If only…

A flash of green reflected off the room’s window, the patter of feet shuffling outside in tune to a closing door. Immediately Stealth’s torso flung bolt upright in his seat, eyes wide and pointed teeth biting his lower lip. Outstretched hands whisked his helmet’s position from the table, trembling hands plopping it onto his head. Stealth ducked behind the table to crawl near the window, holding his breath as unsteady hands fumbled with the helmet’s chin straps. The flash of green had been the familiar point of Bamboo’s hat! His heart raced, did his thoughts accidentally summon her to Sheldon’s after all?!

Not that it was a blessing is disguise, he enjoyed Bamboo’s company to the fullest. Just that she had caught him suddenly off guard. If he stayed quiet and out of sight she wouldn’t know he was tucked away in the room nerding out over strategy builds. Or rather, Bamboo wouldn’t find him at a loss for words over a strategy he couldn’t figure out. So long as she didn’t peer over at the window, she wouldn’t see him, and he her. Totally incognito like his namesake.

Hugging his knees to his chest he kept quiet and perked his ears to any sound Bamboo was making, trying to get an idea as to why she here. Stealth slapped a hand to his helmet at the dumb assumption. Of course! Rider had ordered them all to practise in their free time, Bamboo was likely here to hone her skills and aim.

“S-Stealth get a grip of yourself!” the Inkling berated himself under his breath. He continued to hide in his spot to let himself calm down and to regather his thoughts together. There was no reason to hide from Bamboo, it wasn’t like he had anything to hide from her. Besides, she didn’t seem to have a care in the world about strategies and likely would not so much as bat an eye in his direction if she saw him through the window. She’d leave him alone to his work, much like how the team left her alone once she began a wood carving.

Although. The sounds outside coming from Bamboo’s direction were now piquing his interest. An eyebrow behind his goggles raised upwards, his mouth skewed. A loud rumble hummed against the walls, growing louder and louder by the minute. Vibrations strong enough to shake one’s core warmed his soul, shaking the Jet Squelcher left on the table to make it’s own noise. Stealth had heard a similar sound before, much akin to an engine belonging to a revved chainsaw. Had Bamboo rented out the training room for a larger carving? The shuffling earlier explained a heavy object…

The sounds of exploding training dummies deafened the room to quell the loud rumbling. In a panic, Stealth forgot the reason he was hiding, his fight and flight instincts kicking in. Everything seemed a blur as his feet ran from the room, his right leg kicking open the door that lead to the training area, He didn’t know when he had grabbed his Jet Squelcher, but it was firmly locked in his fingers, cocked and ready to take aim on whatever threat plagued the training area. Stealth’s flight had made it to Bamboo’s position, to which the girl spun with wide, surprised eyes at the sudden interruption. Stealth had been ready to cry out for her to duck, and she in turn looked ready to scream out in surprise. But Stealth’s motion halted momentarily as he plowed his torso into the elongated nozzle of the weapon Bamboo held. With a wheeze, all breath was knocked out of Stealth as he collapsed to his knees and gasped for air. So much for a heroic entrance.

“I-I could have splatted you!” Bamboo’s green eyes were still wide in clear surprise as she argued. From her vantage point she towered over Stealth who remained struggling for a good breath, the barrel of her large weapon also looming over. The roar of the weapon remained revved and purred with all it’s might as the two Inklings locked stares with one another. Minutes seemed to slow to a crawl as they regarded one another in a standstill, each Inkling filled with disbelief.

Shakily, Stealth lifted himself back on two legs that felt like jello, feeling Bamboo’s gaze follow his assent like a laser pointer. His eyes took in the view of the weapons firmly clutched in Bamboo’s white knuckled hands, from it’s long barrel all the way to the massive ink tank at the end. A breath caught in Stealth’s throat as he stepped back with a jerk, glancing back to Bamboo with a bewildered expression.

“T-That…” Stealth pointed a finger towards the offending weapon is question, to which point his legs gave out again for him to fall in a comedic heap on the floor. “That’s a HYDRA!” he exclaimed as he viewed the damage beyond her form. The training dummies had all been hit in rapid succession, one after the other, and only now regenerating their form. Not an excess of spilled ink lay on the floor between the dummies, save for the long trail of ink that had betrayed the Hydra’s pure range. Such range and power! From Bamboo’s own hands!

“Gotta go, I’m sorry!” Bamboo said in a rush. Head down so her hat concealed her face, she pushed past Stealth in a hurry, who had once again regained his footing at last. Even with her large weapon blocking most of her body and the head start walk, Stealth managed to gently reach out to stop her. His hand grabbed her upper arm as he pivoted to close the gap between them in hopes her pursuit would stop. From behind his tinted goggles, Stealth’s eyes looked concerned, ever hurt. But whether Bamboo saw or not was the question. She kept on avoiding Stealth’s face by keeping her head ducked.

“Sorry for what?” Stealth questioned, his voice growing soft with concern. A hint of panic still tainted his voice, to which he managed to push back with a grunt to clear his throat. “Bamboo, I’m the one who should be sorry, I thought you were in danger and…” Stealth rubbed at his nubby little tentacles sticking out from under his helmet, a nervous habit he had adopted. He continued on “Well, I got what I deserved for sneaking up like that in a panic. Would have deserved a splatting too if you hadn’t run out of ink” A chuckle rose from him to ease the tension. Bamboo still didn’t look his way.

“No, I mean…” Bamboo flinched. That surprised Stealth. Bamboo hardly flinched at anything, not even when Rider splatted her in practice with a dynamo. Bamboo took a deep breath before finally looking up at Stealth’s face. “I’ve kept this a secret for so long, I didn’t want anyone to know about…” Bamboo motioned a hand over the Hydra as Stealth’s eyes followed her lead.

“I come here to practice it in secret when I’m not carving” she admitted, averting her gaze. Stealth hadn’t released her from his grasp, but his hand eased on her arm, gently. He was listening intently and she took that as a cue to continue. “I know the Hydra better than I know the Heavy, I know it like the back of my hand. But…” a smile appeared on her lips but faded as soon as her words did. She couldn’t continue on what she had been about to explain. A long story left for another time. “Guess the Judd has been let out of the bag” Closing her eyes Bamboo shook her head.

“Bamboo…being a Hydra main is nothing to be ashamed of…” Stealth carefully put his hands on Bamboo’s shoulder to offer her comfort as he spoke. The Splatling specialist’s attention was firmly on Stealth, both Inklings locked into a staring contest. Or as much of a staring contest as you could call it from Stealth’s end. His eyes were staring at Bamboo from behind his helmet’s binoculars, giving him a dorky aura. “In fact I…” his words faulted for a moment as he sought for what he wanted to say.

Finally, he pulled Bamboo’s hands into his own, an intensity stoking the gears inside his head. “I need your Hydra!” he exclaimed. A smile beamed onto his face as he explained to his teammate in a rush. “I’ve been working on battle strategies for our scrim all morning and I’ve come up with squat. Our problem is lack of range against Vintage, and I’ve been scratching my head on how to achieve that without weakening our defences elsewhere to no avail and…” he blushed once he realized how fast he was talking. Make it short, sweet and to the point without looking like a fool.

“What I’m saying is your Hydra is the solution to my strategy problem!” he beamed. “It has the range we desperately need against Vintage and that Ballpoint of his. If you play the Hydra I can allocate our team better to cover our bases. Blazer can stay on her Gal to contest Double Egg, Rider can take care of Omega and Red Sole if need be.” he explained further. Pieces of the puzzle were falling into their rightful places, a solid strategy was unravelling in his head. Stealth was so caught up in his new plans, he almost didn’t realize Bamboo was squeezing his hands, and a rare smile from her had formed on her lips.

“What do you say?” he asked at last. “Will you be Yellow Green’s dark horse and shake things up?”


End file.
